Post subject: Garson:Jazz-Variations on a Theme of Paganini, Soliloquy II

Posted: Sun Mar 13, 2011 8:33 pm

Joined: Sun Jan 20, 2008 5:45 pmPosts: 2835Location: Germany

These are my first jazz-submissions on PS. My colleague, Michael Schönfelder, plays the clarinet. He is teacher at the same Secondary School (High School) in Germany like me.The first piece (Jazz-variations on a theme of Paganini) is related to classical music, because of the well-known Paganini-theme, the second piece (Soliloquy no. 2) is pure jazz music.The Jazz-variations are quite demanding, it´s a quite fast movement, especially in the middle section, when the quarter becomes a half ("Maestoso con spirito", quarter=116-120), the "Soliloquy no. 2" is in a moderate tempo ("Tranquillo", quarter=96) and has a nice flowing and quiet character.

Andreas,I think your variations are really nice and I enjoyed this a lot ! (I knew there was something blau about you ) I found only one aspect lacking for me: that was that the piano was essentially always used only in the middle of its tessitura. Why not reach both high above and low below every now and then to help vary the color of the piano a bit? Otherwise, very creative and stylistic. (That was one long run on one breath for the clarinetist near the end, but he made it!)

Edit: Oops! These aren't your Variations. Sorry. Well performed!

_________________Eddy M. del Rio, MD"A smattering will not do. They must know all the keys, major and minor, and they must literally 'know them backwards.'" - Josef Lhevinne

Ah, I think, that´s a typical missunderstanding. No, the german word "blau" has nothing to do with "blue notes" in the sense of jazz music. It simply means the colour "blue", which is my favorite one. That´s the only reason I have choosen that nickname. I do play jazz quite seldomly. (The word "blue" in the jazz music means something like "sad", not the colour.)

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(That was one long run on one breath for the clarinetist near the end, but he made it!)

Well, not only for the clarinetist. (Phew!)

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Edit: Oops! These aren't your Variations. Sorry. Well performed!

Indeed I would be proud to be able to improvise jazz music on that level! You are right, these pieces are completely written down and we just play, what´s written in the score.

Andreas, I truly enjoyed both pieces. Wonderful ensemble, beautiful music! It seems that there is no music you cannot play. Bravo and bravi (also to your partner)!!! Actually I've written a comment on YT, but after clicking on "Posten", I saw the message "Der Kommentar muss noch genehmigt werden"...?

_________________Hye-Jin Lee"The love for music. The respect for the composer. The desire to express something that reaches and moves the listener." (Montserrat Caballé about her main motivation for becoming a singer)

Nice pieces ! The variations are inventive and do show some different jazz styles. The Soliloqui has the potential of being very beautiful but somehow does not live up to its initial promise. Garson's harmonic language is just not very developed and individual. No doubt he is a very skilled pianist, improvisator, arranger, etc. As a composer, he does very well without being really special.

Nicely performed too. For a classical guy I'd have wished for a clearer piano sound, and a bit more pointed playing with real jazzy accents, especially in the variations - the other piece is fine in that respect as it is less overtly jazzy (most of it sounds more like New Age to me). The clarinet sounds a bit dry, maybe some reverb would be nice (but that would certainly require more detached and spiky piano sound). A good clarinettist, your partner, though I found some of his glissandi a bit too schmalzy.

We should probably put this on the _Various page, I don't think there is a case for a Garson page as yet.

Nicely performed too. For a classical guy I'd have wished for a clearer piano sound, and a bit more pointed playing with real jazzy accents, especially in the variations -

Thanks, I think at the beginning (and in the Coda, which is like the beginning) it would be possible (and may be better, though that is a pure matter of taste) to use less pedal, but at other places, f.ex. in the half=quarter-part I think I play quite dry and attached like a real "walking bass" has to be played.

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the other piece is fine in that respect as it is less overtly jazzy (most of it sounds more like New Age to me).

I´m not sure, what "New Age" really all includes. The definitions are so different, that a discussion about that matter seems more or less impossible at that time. Indeed, there are some harmonic progressions in it, which are a bit surprising, also some "strange" dissonances, which disturb a bit the initial beauty of that piece. But in summary for me it´s a nice quite flowing, somehow relaxing piece, which I like to play (and to listen to).

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The clarinet sounds a bit dry, maybe some reverb would be nice

I just have added my usual reverberation settings for my Bach-recordings. I thought, it´s enough for these jazzy pieces.

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though I found some of his glissandi a bit too schmalzy.

That sounds like german, the word "schmaltzy" (we say "Schmalz" to it). Oh, oh, I´m curious what my clarinet-partner will say to that.

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We should probably put this on the _Various page, I don't think there is a case for a Garson page as yet.

Thanks, I think at the beginning (and in the Coda, which is like the beginning) it would be possible (and may be better, though that is a pure matter of taste) to use less pedal, but at other places, f.ex. in the half=quarter-part I think I play quite dry and attached like a real "walking bass" has to be played.

I wasn't suggesting you use too much pedal, just that the touch could be a bit more pointed. It is the same problem when I (try to) play Kapustin, it sounds 'too classical' and not quite loose enough.

musicusblau wrote:

I´m not sure, what "New Age" really all includes. The definitions are so different, that a discussion about that matter seems more or less impossible at that time. Indeed, there are some harmonic progressions in it, which are a bit surprising, also some "strange" dissonances, which disturb a bit the initial beauty of that piece. But in summary for me it´s a nice quite flowing, somehow relaxing piece, which I like to play (and to listen to).

Indeed so. New Age is no less easier to define than Jazz (not that I know much about either) and one should not try to 'label' music like that.

musicusblau wrote:

I just have added my usual reverberation settings for my Bach-recordings. I thought, it´s enough for these jazzy pieces.

I seem to be a bit allergic to a dry sound, and usually want/tolerate more reverb than others (though I'll often call something 'swimmy' when there's too much of it ). Maybe this is ok, I just find the clarinet sounding a bit dry and lonely.

musicusblau wrote:

That sounds like german, the word "schmaltzy" (we say "Schmalz" to it). Oh, oh, I´m curious what my clarinet-partner will say to that.

Perhaps play a bit softer as an accompaniment during the theme and first variation and a bit more shading in the dynamics. You are really together with the clarinetist. A very interesting and enjoyable performance.

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